“Does that mean we’re middle class now?” Experiences of educational psychologists who identify as coming from a low socioeconomic status background in accessing, training, and practicing within the profession
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Abstract
Research suggests a correlation between those from socio-economic disadvantage and inequity of outcomes across all aspects of a person's life including education, living standards, health and work. Whilst many measures exist to determine low socioeconomic status (LSES), accessing free school meals over a period of time has been deemed one of the most reliable against bias. Those who access free school meals are more likely to have additional or special educational needs. This highlights the pertinence of this issue to the working practice of Educational Psychologists (EPs). The British Psychological Society highlight the importance of EPs practising in a way that is culturally competent, which requires awareness and understanding of diverse communities.
The topic of equality and diversity is salient within the educational psychology profession and UK workforce surveys suggest that there is a lack of diversity of practicing EPs. Despite this, there is a lack of research exploring the possible reasons behind the statistics, such as the experiences of EPs and their journeys into the profession.
This research explored the experiences of ten qualified EPs from England and Wales who had completed the doctorate in educational psychology. Semi-structured interviews were completed online, and the data was analysed using reflective thematic analysis. Findings highlight the factors that were helpful for EPs to access and complete the doctorate. Several barriers are also raised in relation to the lack of experience and financial resources participants felt were due to their LSES. Once qualified, EPs reflected on the strengths their backgrounds had equipped them with and how they were helpful in their working practice. A consistent theme throughout training and practice suggested the importance of drawing awareness to and starting conversations about this issue in the EP profession. Implications for EPs and EP services are discussed, as well as implications for training institutions and wider systems. The results also suggested several areas for further research exploration.
